Use a Car Rental Coupon to Save Money Or Get a Free Upgrade

Coupons are a great deal - know where to find them! Look for coupons in the yellow pages, in magazines and online.There are many associations and membership programs that offer discount codes and coupons with most, if not all, car rental companies! If an association that you belong to has affiliations with a car rental company you may receive coupons or offers in newsletters.

Car rental coupons are another way to help get a cheap car rental rate. Here are the types of car rental coupons that are usually available. I've also included tips for each category. Decide which type of coupon works best for you and your rental; it usually depends on the length or your rental and the type of vehicle you require.

Money Off Car Rental Coupons

Money off car rental coupons can range from $5 to $50 off your total rental price. (money always comes off at the end of the rental after the taxes and fees are calculated) The amount of money off usually depends on the number of rental days and sometimes the size of the vehicle you are renting.

Most money off coupons will work on weekly or weekend rentals. See the terms and conditions on each coupon for specifics.(Make sure to get out your magnifying glass!) Generally, a weekly rental consists of 5 or more days that include a Saturday night. A weekend rental usually consists of a minimum of three days, maximum of 5. They usually must begin some time on a Thursday or Friday and end before close of business on Sunday or Monday.

If a coupons says $$ off a long-term rental, that's usually for a rental of 30 days or more.Most coupons only work on compact, mid or full size cars. There are a few out there that will work on an SUV or minivan. The back of each coupon will list the size categories available for that particular coupon.

Free Day(s) Coupons

You usually find free day coupons for compact up to full size cars, for weekly or weekend rentals. To calculate the value of the free day you would take your base rate (before taxes) and divide it by the number of rental days. This gives you an average daily rate. This amount would be taken off at the end of the rental (taxes and fees are calculated first!).

When booking online, the value of a money off or free day coupon may not be calculated into your total price. When you generate your price total, the website should tell you whether or not the value of the free day has been taken into account. If it is not calculated in your rate, the coupon value will be subtracted at the end of the rental when you pay for it, assuming you met the terms and conditions that were listed; these terms and conditions are usually on the back of the coupon.

Free Upgrade Coupons

Upgrade coupons are either single upgrade or double upgrade. For example if a rental company classifies it's sizes from compact - mid - standard - full - premium and you wanted a full size; you would book the mid-size and may receive a single upgrade to a standard size car or a double upgrade to a full size car. That's right, I said MAY. Most coupons state some variation of "The upgraded car is subject to availability at the time of rental".

Upgrades are not generally not guaranteed. Keep this in mind if you require a certain size. If you need a full size, book it and upgrade to a premium. If the price of the full size is more than you would like, book the full size and use a money off coupon instead.

Bonus Mile Coupons

There are programs like frequent flyer memberships or hotel programs that will offer you coupons that will give you bonus miles or points when you rent a car. As with all coupons, make sure that your rental meets the terms and conditions of that particular coupon. Some companies charge a frequent flyer miles surcharge if you collect miles on your rental. Check with the rental car company to see if and what this charge would be.

Most coupons have a car rental discount code in addition to the coupon offer itself. Use both for even more savings!

For more tips on coupons, discount codes, policies and more, please visit my website below.

http://www.best-car-rental-tips.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jerry_Lyons

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